Portamento

Short and sweet interview of The Drums' new album, Portamento. Written for Electric Banana. 

                                                           


                                                              My album rating: 4/5

                                                                

New York indie-rockers The Drums burst into the music scene last year, bringing with them the annoyingly catchy tunes 'Best Friend' and 'Let's Go Surfing.' Clearly influenced by bands such as The Smiths and Joy Division/New Order, from their sound, to the lead singers Ian Curtis-esque dance moves.

Their self titled début album was full of indie pop treasures that their fan-base grew to love, and they will not be disappointed with the new album, 'Portamento'. It could almost be seen as part two of their début album, it is full of tunes fans of The Drums will be familiar with, sing-along choruses, 80s inspired poppy guitar and synths, and sweeping, relatable vocals, “I want to buy you something, but I don't have any money”. Portamento also sees The Drums evolve as a band, as the second half of the album sees the band steering away from radio-friendly indie-pop. The edgy, dark tones and the soaring vocals of 'If He Likes It Let Him Do It' see The Drums experiment with their darker side.

Perhaps at times the album could be perceived as being rather samey, but the tracks are different enough to not become tedious. Portamento is an album that fans of The Drums are sure to be pleased by, and sceptics of the band will have to accept that they are showing signs of growing and developing as a group. We look forward to seeing them evolve further.

Famous First Words

My album rating: 6.5/10

Viva Brother, who used to be known as 'Brother', before an American band of the same name threatened legal action against them, have rose to fame very quickly in the last year. They formed in Slough in January 2010 and have since then gained a lot of attention, especially from NME who claimed they are "The return of the great British guitar band." As usual, NME jumped on the band wagon and have been bigging up Viva Brother ever since they began to get noticed. However, they gave Famous First Words a 5/10, calling it extremely average and an Oasis tribute. Is there any truth in this?


Well, clearly Viva Brother have had a lot of inspiration from the 90s britpop scene, especially from Oasis and Blur. The polished guitar riffs and vocals come from Blur, while the attitude resembles that of Oasis. All artists get there inspiration from somewhere, but the key to reviving a sound is making it fresh and creating something new. Viva Brother have managed to do this in the form of scarily catchy tunes and simple, yet effective lyrics. You'll be humming New Years Day for weeks to come.


After all the raving hype surrounding them before the release of their album, and now seeing the album getting such harsh reviews, it's hard not to feel sorry for them. We were lead to believe that the Slough quartet were sent from above, intent on bringing music back to the laddish guitar rock era of the 90s. In reality though, they brought us a collection of melodic, singalong indie-rock tunes that certainly don't take any risks, but are far better than similar acts (The View and The Courteeners, to name a few) and more likeable. 

Suck It And See

 My album rating: 8/10

Gone are the days when Arctic Monkeys were a band singing about fights at taxi ranks, and scantily-clad prostitutes. These days, with the likes of Humbug, they've turned their attention to matters which do not centre around their home town, Sheffield. Suck It And See is the sound of the experimental Humbug coming into fruition.  Although still heavily influenced by Josh Homme, so there is still an air of darker, heavier atmosphere, it is more balanced out with Alex Turner's lyrical genius. The energy and melodies are back in the form of stoner rock songs, rather than the punky numbers with which they became famous for. It still might not be overly appealing to fans who fell in love with the first two albums, but they have grown up and have long since matured musically.

One key aspect that has not been changed however, is Turner's masterful song writing, and this album only confirms this. His laid back delivery that fans have grown to love reflects his confidence and maturity with song writing. This is shown perfectly in the title track of the album which holds the gem, "I poured my aching heart into a pop song / I couldn't get the hang of poetry / that’s not a skirt girl, that’s a sawn off shotgun / and I can only hope you've got it aimed at me."

Not only have they continued delivering lyrically, but instrumentally too. Bassist Nick O'Malley shines in this album more than ever, and is the basis to the success of many of the songs,  especially 'Reckless Serenade'. Drummer Matt Helders clearly must have had more fun recording this album than he had recording Humbug, sounding much more energized and enthusiastic, and even lending a hand with the vocals on 'Brick by Brick'.  Meanwhile, Jamie Cook expands his list of memorable riffs, from the psychedelic 'Library Pictures' and the beefy 'Don't Sit Down 'Cause I've Moved Your Chair', to the retro pop chimes of 'Reckless Serenade.' The versatile range of styles goes to show how the various side projects and experiments the band dabbled in were in fact worthwhile. 

Perhaps most importantly, Suck It And See sees the band produce music at a time when they were beginning to have their first doubters. As dividing as Humbug was, it now seems like a necessary sidestep, and one which has helped the band to return to  their very best. There will, of course, always be a section of their fanbase who believe that their debut album will never be topped, but Suck It And See goes a long way towards proving that such a feat is indeed possible.